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Roadwork begins on several major projects in Las Cruces

By Steve Ramirez / sramirez@lcsun-news.com

Posted:
02/06/2013 06:35:13 PM MST

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Progress continued to be made Wednesday on a fly-over bridge that will connect Interstate 10 with I-25, at the southern end of the Las Cruces city limits. The $36.6 million project is about 85 percent complete, and should be finished in April. Work at the I-10/I-25 interchange is currently the largest road project under way in New Mexico.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has plenty of them lined up along roadways in and out of Las Cruces, and there are going to be more of them. With several road projects under way, there will be at least two more starting — one in less than two weeks.

The work is a mixed blessing. Some Las Cruces motorists welcome the road improvements, others vent frustrations about longer commutes to and from work.

"Great, more (road) construction. It's hard enough now with all of the other stuff going on," Matthew Rucker sighed. "We just can't seem to catch a break. They start another project just as one is finishing. Why can't we just get all the work done at once, get it over with, and move on? Doing it this way, we're really not moving."

But Las Crucen Julie Martos isn't nearly as critical.

"It does take some getting used to, but if it's going to make (traveling) better for everyone, I guess it's something we just have to learn to put up with," Martos said. "I'm kind of looking forward to all of the improvements."

Currently, NMDOT is overseeing the reconstruction of the interchange that connects Interstate 10 with I-25, at the southern end of the Las Cruces city limits. Also, work is under way to replace an I-10 overpass at Motel Boulevard.

Coming up, NMDOT officials conducted a public meeting Tuesday to brief interested residents about work that is supposed to begin Feb.

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19 to re-pave about 2.5 miles of Picacho Avenue, from the Rio Grande east to Main Street. In August, NMDOT will begin a reconstruction project along part of north Main Street to Solano Drive.

Bridget Spedalieri, NMDOT spokeswoman, said Wednesday work on the I-10 to I-25 interchange is about 85 percent complete, and the $36.6 million project is on schedule to be finished in April. Work to be completed includes paving throughout the project, installing signs, and seeding slopes along a newly constructed fly-over bridge that will link I-10 to I-25.

Just a few miles west, along I-10, work is wrapping up on the replacement of an overpass at Motel Boulevard. Spedalieri said minor work along the slopes of the overpass, painting of the bridge, and the installation of signs and road striping are all the remains to be done.

"This project should be completed by mid March," Spedalieri said.

"That's great news," said Ted Tyler, a commercial truck driver. "I've been making hauls through here the past year or so, and it's been a bear trying to get in and out of the truck stops at that exit. Obviously, it's going to make it a lot faster for all vehicles to get through that area; that should help everyone."

But by the end of the year, work is expected to begin to replace the I-10 overpass at Avenida de Mesilla. The existing steel girder pin-and-hangar type bridges will be replaced with a concrete bridge consisting of full-height abutments, precast concrete deck panels, and artwork with a southwest theme. The Avenida de Mesilla overpass will be similar to soon-to-be-completed Motel Boulevard interchange.

The estimated cost to rebuild the Avenida de Mesilla overpass is $12 million.

A deteriorating pavement section of north Main Street, from Chestnut Avenue to Solano, will be rebuilt when work begins in August. Bicycle lanes will be installed on both sides of Main Street and a special bus lane — where RoadRUNNER Transit buses can pick up and drop off passengers — will be built on the west side of Main Street, near Madrid Avenue.

The intersection at north Main and Solano will get a complete makeover, with sidewalks installed that will comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Landscaping will also be added at that intersection and NMDOT officials have told city officials that section of roadway should improve driver, bicycle and pedestrian safety.

Saturday, construction began to install about 11 miles of cable barriers along U.S. Highway 70, from Del Rey Boulevard east to NASA Road. Currently, Smith and Aguirre Construction, of Las Cruces, the contractor for the project, is clearing the median between Del Rey and Mesa Grande Drive. Traffic is reduced to one lane with that section, and one-lane closures will be in effect in two-mile increments throughout the duration of the project.

"Law enforcement is making a presence on U.S. 70 to remind everyone that this is a work zone and the motorists must pay close attention to the driving, so that we can have a safe environment for the public and the workers out on the roadway," Spedalieri said.

Construction on U.S. 70 between Del Rey and NASA Road will be Saturday through Wednesday and is expected to continue through June.

Steve Ramirez can be reached at 575-541-5452. Follow him on Twitter @SteveRamirez6

Roadwork

— The New Mexico Department of Transportation has several road projects in Las Cruces that are either about to start or are under construction.

— Work will begin Feb. 19 to resurface U.S. Highway 70, also known as Picacho Avenue, from the Rio Grande east to Main Street.

— Work continues on the replacement of the Interstate 10 overpass at Motel Boulevard.

— Work also continues on the reconstruction of the interchange linking I-10 to I-25. That is currently the largest road project under way in New Mexico.

— In August, a portion of north Main Street — which is also a part of U.S. 70 — from Chestnut Avenue to Solano Drive will be reconstructed.

— Work started Saturday State to install a three-strand, 40-inch-high cable barrier along a 10-mile stretch of Hwy. 70 on the East Mesa.

ONLINE EXTRA:

For the latest updates on road construction projects or other circumstances affecting road conditions, go to http://nmroads.com;